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By Jacob Gill
Pennsylvania Assistant Director of Scouting

We continue our evaluations from the 2017 Preseason All-State Showcase with underclass middle infielders, who numbered one dozen of the 100 players in attendance at the event.

Top Prospect

Cameron Barto, 2019, SS, Lancaster Catholic
Quality defensive skill set; exhibits good feet and moves well through the catch. Made diving play up middle and flipped to 1B from knees. Clean, compact arm action generated 79 mph arm strength across the diamond. 5-foot-11, 155-pound switch-hitter who ran a 6.91 60-yard dash. Short, rhythmic load from the right side, where his hands work better, as he has a bit of an armbar with some stiffness in his wrists from the left side. Eyes stay level, minimal moving parts to get out of sync, and has some feel for hitting against his front leg from both sides. Logged an 84 mph exit velocity and gap power will continue to emerge as he adds strength to his frame.

 

Other Participating 2019 & 2020 Middle Infielders

J.D. Armstrong, 2019, SS, Pine-Richland
5-foot-10, 155-pound right-handed hitter. Starts from a slightly open stance, takes a knee-to-knee stride to square, and holds hands in a good launch position. Swings hard, although would benefit from strength gains, as he has a tendency to use his shoulders to get the barrel moving, which can create some length in his path. Posted 80 mph exit velocity. Defensively, he does a nice job fielding the baseball out front and recorded 77 mph arm strength. Will need to improve foot speed (7.85 60-yard dash) and quickness to remain in the middle of the diamond long-term.

John Daggs, 2019, SS, Northern York
5-foot-7, 160-pound right-handed hitter. Hits from a slightly open stance and utilized a middle-of-the-diamond approach during his BP round. Swing has some stiffness due to an armbar, while he could develop into some gap power (currently 80 mph exit velocity). Defensively, he projects to move to the other side of the bag at the next level with a short, ball-to-ear arm action that generated 70 mph arm strength across the diamond.

Adam Fine, 2019, SS, Harriton
Actions aren't always graceful, but he ran a 6.68 60-yard-dash, while there's some fast-twitch in his 5-foot-10, 150-pound frame. Right-handed hitter starts from a slightly open stance and incorporates a toe-tap. Wraps barrel behind head in load, which creates length in swing path, but flashes bat speed that generated an 83 mph exit velocity. Has a chance to shorten path and control barrel more consistently as he gains strength. Defensively, he showed playable feet and 76 mph arm strength, while his foot speed would certainly translate to the outfield down the road.

Kamal Gray, 2020, RHP/SS, Archbishop John Carroll
Right-handed hitter with some strength in his 5-foot-11, 165-pound frame. Starts from an open stance and strides to slightly open. Base can get wide with weight into front hip early, forcing the swing to be mostly generated from his top half. Nonetheless, consistently found the barrel during his BP round and posted an 85 mph exit velocity. Ran a 7.06 60-yard dash. Can be a bit choppy defensively, but flashes athletic actions, especially when completing the slow roller play and with a loose slinger arm action (stay tuned next week for his pitcher evaluation) that generated easy 80 mph arm strength across the diamond with more assuredly in the tank.

Kyle Hannon, 2020, 2B, Red Land
5-foot-8, 150-pound left-handed hitter. Starts from a slightly open stance and takes a waist-high leg lift to slightly closed. Bars lead arm with low hands in his load, leading to an uphill swing path with some length to it. Aggressive swing accompanied by current 80 mph exit velocity portends for gap power potential. Defensively, he posted 76 mph arm strength, while he would benefit from improving his foot speed (7.50 60-yard dash) and lateral quickness.

Tristan Lockett, 2019, RHP/SS, Mifflin County
6-foot, 165-pound primary pitcher. RIght-handed hitter whose body floats forward with stride, leading to pushing hands at ball with minimal backside incorporation. Posted a 79 mph exit velocity and would benefit from additional strength. Ran a 7.45 60-yard dash. Defensively, he logged 78 mph arm strength from a long arm action and would benefit from getting his hands behind the ball to field it, instead of working around the side of it.

Drew Mummau, 2019, SS, Manheim Central
Liberty commit has a feel for playing defense. Exhibits good feet and soft hands and shows body control when making plays on the move. 76 mph arm strength plays up with clean, easy release, while every throw during defensive workout was chest-high to the first baseman. Ran a 7.03 60-yard dash. Smack in the middle of hoops season, the 5-foot-10, 160-pound right-handed hitter understandably struggled some to control the barrel during his BP round. Would benefit from additional strength (79 mph exit velocity), while he continues to exhibit a quiet, repeatable approach with minimal head movement.

Shane Murphy, 2019, RHP/2B, North Allegheny
5-foot-10, 170-pound primary pitcher. Exhibited solid hands defensively before funneling the ball to his shoulder for separation into a compact arm action that generated 72 mph arm strength. Right-handed hitter starts from a slightly open stance and incorporates a heel-raise stride. Could relax grip with top hand that currently over-rotates, creating stiffness in his wrists, as the bat sits in his palm. Would also benefit from full incorporation of his lower half, which currently allows limited backside rotation. Ran a 7.85 60-yard dash.

Nick Reposa, 2019, 2B/OF, Tunkhannock Area
5-foot-8, 140-pound right-handed hitter who ran a 7.09 60-yard dash. Starts from a slightly open stance and strides to square. Minimal load of hands, but does create some rhythm with a waggle. Takes a short path to the ball and repeats swing. Posted a 75 mph exit velocity. On the infield, he showed good feet, 77 mph arm strength, and an ability to complete the slow roller play. In the outfield, he took an aggressive approach to the ball, running through the catch and posting 80 mph arm strength.

Kyle Rhoads, 2019, SS, Cocalico
5-foot-10, 170-pounder continues to develop. Exhibited a solid across-the-board defensive skill set that includes a feel for approaching the baseball to field it and continue moving his feet toward his target, as well as 86 mph arm strength across the diamond. Right-handed hitter starts from a slightly open stance and takes a short stride. Rolls front shoulder and hides hands behind head a bit in his load, creating some stiffness and length in his path. Has a chance to develop gap power with a current exit velocity of 82 mph. Will need to improve foot speed (7.51 60-yard dash) and quickness to remain in the middle of the diamond long-term, but defensive abilities should translate to third base.

Ryan Teaman, 2019, SS, Mardela (MD)
5-foot-10, 155-pound right-handed hitter. Starts from an open stance with weight unbalanced on the back side. Rocks weight back-to-front, getting into his front side early and inhibiting his ability to incorporate his backside into his swing. Bat path can get long, but is flat through the zone and hands have a chance to work if he can iron out an armbar. Additional strength would help improve his ability to drive the baseball (79 mph exit velocity). Defensively, he exhibited good feet and posted 79 mph arm strength. In order to stay in the middle of the diamond long-term, would benefit from softening up his glovehand and improving foot speed (7.50 60-yard dash) and quickness.

Preseason All-State Showcase News